Adi training

ABOUT US ADI TRAINING

Since 1993 we have been helping people from all walks of life to re-train for successful new careers in driving instruction.

Over that time we have successfully trained 100s of instructors from Inverness all the way down to Brighton. Some of these instructors have now moved on to become examiners who are testing our learners and future instructors.

In addition to initial training, for the last few years our head trainer has also been responsible for the day to day quality control and advanced training of instructors working for the country�s largest driving school.

This has included helping with pass rates, liaising with DSA staff on technical issues on behalf of instructors, training for check tests, training fleet instructors, training instructors to carry out driver improvement courses, training instructors and trainers to deliver classroom sessions, helping instructors deal with pupils with disabilities and generally being someone to call when things go wrong.

At the highest level we have been contracted to train people all over the country to become trainers themselves, many of these trainers still call on a regular basis for help and advice on how to deal with their potential driving instructors as well as seeking advice on how to achieve better grades on their own ORDIT exams and check tests.

We have been used to oversee trainers in different parts of the country and re-train them when their pass rates dip below an acceptable level.

We were one of the first in the country to achieve ORDIT registration and have consistently achieved the highest possible mark of GRADE 6 from the DSA exams.

We were also one of the first in the country to join the register of Fleet driver trainers. This involves being examined by DSA examiners to ensure we are suitable to deliver driver development training and risk awareness courses to company drivers. Again, we have always achieved the highest available marks on any of these tests.

Perhaps the biggest accolade is the fact that numerous existing instructors, both from all the national schools and private schools, as well as coming to us for check test training, recommend us to their colleagues when training issues arise. The majority of our work therefore comes from recommendations.

We are experts in this field and have unrivalled success rates both for our own trainees and delivering remedial training and rescue training to trainees who are not progressing as quickly as they would like with other training establishments.

PART 1

Your road to becoming an Approved Driving Instructor.

To become an instructor you must have held a full UK driving licence for a minimum of 3 1/2 years and have no more than 3 penalty points on your licence. The full criteria can be found here.

You must pass a criminal records check, or disclosure Scotland check to ensure you are of good character.

We recommend you download the DSA publication Your road to becoming a driving instructor for more details.

This part of the qualifying exam takes the form of a theory test consisting of 100 multiple choice questions over a 90 minutes period. The pass mark is 85% however the questions are broken down into 4 bands of 25, each of which has an 80% pass mark. it is therefore possible to achieve an overall score of 94 and still not pass because you have not reached 80% in one of the bands.

This will be closely followed by a hazard perception test which consists of 14 video clips containing 15 hazards.

Each of these hazards has a potential top score of 5 marks. In order to pass this part you have to click on the screen using a computer mouse as soon as you identify the developing hazard.

The pass mark on this section is 57 out of the possible total of 75.

Some of the bigger training companies will charge �800+ to train you for part 1. They justify these fees by telling you that they supply materials, so called admin fees and course fees.

The truth of the matter is you could easily pick up all the relevant materials you will need for well under �100.

Their “admin” means big profits for them.

Their courses are usually classroom based with multiple other students. These classes fall down on a number of fronts.

Other students may not have done as much homework as you and will need to take up a lot more of the tutors time in class.

Students may be argumentative over certain subjects, again taking up the tutors time, Others arriving late disrupting classes. Tutors giving preferential treatment to their favourite students.

Unfortunately we have seen, and heard of, all of the above on numerous occasions over the years. That is why we prefer a simple one to one teaching approach.

Our tutor will sit down with you as an individual without distractions and help you to find the best way for you to learn all that is required to successfully sit and pass the test, and prepare you for the rest of the course.

As part of the service we provide, after an initial consultation, we will either give you a recommended reading list or supply the materials to you at cost price.

We can also offer the above and include a 2 hour one to one training session so that you are more than familiar with all elements of the test.

As part of this session we will also supply you with an e-copy of our reference book which answers all of the so called silly questions that people have trouble finding the answers to, as well as various other publications which we think you might find useful in order to find the correct answers to the questions.

We also provide reasonable telephone and e-mail support free of charge, we do however reserve the right to ignore calls at 8.15 on a Sunday morning. (Sorry Mark).

PART 2

Part 2 test of driving ability is the second stage of the qualifying exam.

The test will take the form of approx 1 hour drive during which you will be tested on as many aspects of driving as the examiner can find. These will include driving on urban roads, country roads, dual carriageways and motorways. You will also be expected to carry out a turn in the road, reverse left round a corner, reverse right round a corner, emergency stop exercise and a reverse parking exercise, either behind a car on the road or into a parking bay at the test centre if this facility is available.

We tend to find that one of the biggest errors potential instructors make at this stage is trying to revert back to the way they were taught to drive as a learner.

In order to pass this test you will be expected to show a very high standard of driving. The best way to think of this is simply putting the good habits back into your driving whilst retaining and showing your years of driving experience.

Driving like a learner driver will be frowned upon, but unfortunately we come across people who have paid money to people who set themselves up as trainers, and through lack of knowledge or understanding, try to get you driving like an inexperienced learner.

We will take you on a short assessment drive to find out what your bad habits are (if any), before coaching you through the correct procedures. We will then give you an individual written action plan that allows you to go away in your own time and practice the areas you need to develop.

In this way you work at a pace that is right for you. If you devote time to personal practice it is more than possible that on your subsequent session you could have achieved the standard required therefore eliminating the need for more sessions.

Remember, with us you only pay a flat rate per hour so the less times we take you out the less you pay.

By working in this manner it is possible to save hundreds of pounds in fees that you may pay to the bigger establishments.

PART 3

Part 3 is the final part of the qualifying exams to become a driving instructor.

This part of the qualifying exams takes the form of a 1 hour long test. This test is broken down into 2 half hour segments commonly known as phase 1 and phase 2.

A senior examiner will play the role of a pupil at various stages of their learning to drive. Your role is to instruct the examiner / pupil so that there is an improvement in the subject that you have been given to teach.

There are 10 Pre Set Tests (PSTs) that the examiner can choose from, each of which has a specific phase 1 and phase 2. These PSTs and phases are set in stone and cannot be mixed and matched. You can find a copy of them here.

Which PST he chooses is usually random. in his office he has a couple of pads of them which start at no 1 and go down to no 10 he / she usually simply picks the one from the top of the pile.

On phase 1 the examiner will play the role someone who is either a complete beginner to driving or is partly trained. This means that he will have some driving experience but on this occasion he will be getting taught something new. For example he may have reached a reasonable level of being able to drive from A to B but has never reversed around a corner.

The examiner will set the scene by giving you a word picture which will describe what stage he is at and what he wants you to teach him. You will then introduce yourself, repeat the word picture back to him and give him a briefing which covers the main points of the lesson. Some people think of this as giving a short presentation with pictures.

The examiner will give you route directions and you will repeat them back to him. You will then verbally guide the examiner / pupil through the subject by giving very specific instructions on the move. (The good news about this is that you don’t have to know where your’e going as the examiner will plan his route beforehand).

His job is to purposely put in faults because he supposedly does not fully understand or is incapable of carrying out some of these specific instructions.

Your task now is to identify these faults and correct them by finding out why he is getting it wrong giving him a solution to the fault and a good reason to do it the way you have told him. This is called identifying analysing and remedying the fault.

On phase 2 the examiner will portray someone completely different. This person will be either someone who is just about to sit a driving test (trained stage) or someone who has had a licence for a few years but needs driver development training (Full Licence Holder).

As above the examiner will set the scene and give you a subject that he needs to work on. He will have the theoretical knowledge that some one has given him in a briefing previously but will lack the skills or understanding to carry it out. As before the examiner will simulate faults and it is your job to identify, analyse and correct those faults.

At the end of the test the examiner will leave you sitting for 10-15 minutes while he goes to consider his decision.

The markings on the PST are graded 1 through to 6. Your performance in various areas will be marked according to how well you did. 1 being awarded for getting your name right and 6 being top marks. In order to pass the test you have to achieve a minimum grade 4 in each of the two phases. Both of the phases need to be passed on the same test.

You only have 3 attempts at the part 3 test and it must be successfully completed within 2 years of the date you passed your part 1.